


brightened doubts (bleak hope)

by BlueSapphire718



Series: from the stars above (the cosmos are alight) [9]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Angst, Attempted Emotional Manipulation, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Requited Unrequited Love, at least, at least that's what it is to me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:29:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24801610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueSapphire718/pseuds/BlueSapphire718
Summary: Something is humming.Jon’s eyes flicker open, before squeezing them shut just as quickly from the sudden painful throb in his head. Breathes slowly as he reopens his eyes to sickly green light flickering in front of him. If he remembers correctly, the last thing he has done was split up with Agen to find the supposed creature of the Dark Side Cave. Jon found, fought against a dark presence, and it... it was stifling.
Relationships: Jon Antilles/Agen Kolar
Series: from the stars above (the cosmos are alight) [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553083
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	brightened doubts (bleak hope)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [blackkat's](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat) tumblr blog by the apparent lack of space horror and creepy stuff in Star Wars. Did I mean to start it? No. Whose fault is it? By this point. BY THIS POINT. It's mostly blackkat's server's fault but mostly blackkat's. Mostly.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!

Something is humming.

Jon’s eyes flicker open, before squeezing them shut just as quickly from the sudden painful throb in his head. Breathes slowly as he reopens his eyes to sickly green light flickering in front of him. If he remembers correctly, the last thing he has done was split up with Agen to find the supposed creature of the Dark Side Cave. Jon found, fought against a dark presence, and it... it was stifling.

It’s still stifling. His breath hitches as he stares in front of him, a dark wisp of smoke seemingly curling in amusement. The Darkness seems to lurk around it ever so carefree, happy, and the familiarity makes him grit his teeth silently. This is the presence he had faced, fought with earlier. Licks dry, chapped lips as he stares stonily at it, a brush of amusement against his shields.

There’s too much familiarity with Dark Woman, too. Jon nearly flinches, but holds steady from the dragging touch of sudden dread. The dark presence seemingly smiles, fades away to reveal familiar dark eyes watching him, soft warmth replaced by cruel amusement. The smile on its face has too much teeth, rocking back on its heels as it watches him.

“Well, isn’t this interesting?” it drawls, smooth ice coated with honey, unsettling with its current looks, and—the voice is also _his_. Tries to move and there’s something clamped around his wrists, his legs. _Oh_ , he thinks as he glances to see stone encased around him and tries to move with—no, it’s stone. Stone that seems to be preventing him from using the Force.

He can sense the Force. But he can’t use it.

“Interesting?” Jon asks flatly, tugs on his restraints to test the strength of it.

“Oh, yes,” it says as it lifts a dark-skinned hand to observe itself. The smile on its face widens, and Jon only blinks slowly. It doesn’t look right on _his_ face, doesn’t seem right either, not when _he’s_ kind, far more gentle than one would think. “I never expected to find a Human and a Zabrak coming into my cave. Even better...” It leers at him with a vicious smile. “You love him. The Zabrak. What did you call him again? Agen?”

The truth, laid out all bare to the world. Breathes steadily as he watches it continue to rock back on its heels, and—Jon knows. He knows he loves Agen, trusts him to be able to take care of himself, knows how loyal Agen is to the Jedi’s teachings and the Jedi Order. Knows how much Agen is true to his word, no matter what happens, how trusting he is to the other Jedi.

Agen trusts him, and that’s enough for him. He would _never_ harm him.

“And?” Jon asks quietly, ignoring the sudden grip of fear that seems to clash against his shields. It reels back, hatred flickering across familiar dark eyes like a blazing inferno, then it smooths over into a neutral look. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Oh, but it _does_ , little Human. It _does_.” It smiles with Agen’s face, far too unsettling on the face it wears. A cold touch of dread bubbles in his chest, when he realizes where this is going. “You want so many things, but as those Jedi, you cannot act upon them.”

“I want nothing,” Jon says firmly.

“Oh, isn’t that a lie? You shouldn’t lie to yourself, shouldn’t you, Jedi?”

‘Agen’ laughs, a curl of dark pleasure echoing and thrumming against his skin. _It’s no lie_ , he wants to protest, but settles for staying silent as it laughs again, and again. There’s no saying otherwise if the being believes that wholeheartedly, that Jon is lying to himself.

Sickly green lurks in the shadows, seemingly taking in the glee of him being restrained. Jon only stares back at ‘Agen’ with narrowed eyes, before he shakes his head and keeps silent. The creature of Dark Side Cave can feed on emotions, the inhabitants said when he and Agen had questioned them. It comes out of Dark Side Cave once a year to feed upon them all before retreating back.

They say that the creature is part of the tainted and corrupted Force lurking in the swamps nearby. Shadows, the familiar feeling of Darkness, how it turned into ‘Agen’ and has nearly the exact mannerism... it clicks. It shouldn’t have taken him so long to figure it out, but—it clicks, and he breathes through it slowly.

“You’re the creature,” Jon says softly.

It pauses, dark eyes glancing towards him, and there’s teeth. Pearl white, sharp fangs gleam in the dark, the sickly green light emitting from the cave walls. “Slow, but you’re smart, if not a little dumber than the _others_ ,” it purrs before letting out a throaty laugh. He ignores the implications of those words. “Yes. You can say I’m this... creature that you speak of.”

The Force is far stifling here than outside of the cave, but he needs to get out of here. Find Agen, make sure no one else is in the cave with them, and lead him back here to take down the dark presence. But—he’s trapped here, with no way to use the Force, and Agen is _alone_. Alone with no one to warn him. Jon meets the dark presence’s eyes. The smile widens ever so slightly with dark delight.

“You want him.” It’s not a question, it’s a statement. How it wants Agen, Jon doesn’t know, but he doesn’t need to see to know that Agen will be in trouble regardless. Carefully doesn’t think of how lips curl into a faint smile and a warm hand gently lying across his shoulder. He _doesn’t_.

It laughs, sadistic and full of _glee_. “Perhaps I do,” it says slyly, examines the nails on one hand. So full of itself, but—a weakness. Jon discreetly files it away for later. “Your Agen is full of despair and pain, even if he doesn’t show it. It’s... delicious, really. Fun. A pretty plaything, if I have to be honest. Perhaps it’ll be even more fun to watch him _break_.”

Break.

The memory of the Zabrak’s soft smile and the steady look in his gaze flashes over Jon’s mind. His breath hitches quietly as ‘Agen’ laughs, inhumane in his ears. If the creature wants to break Agen, it won’t stand a chance against him. Agen is strong, and the other Jedi _knows_ him. Knows him far too well and Jon knows, knows that Agen will know, too.

Jon presses his lips together tightly, looks past it and to the cave’s opening. He needs to bid his chance, once the creature leaves. To find a way to escape, find Agen, to protect the inhabitants in the nearby settlement. The cave opening is pitch black, full of looming and flickering shadows, then–

A flicker of wariness.

_No_.

The creature simply looks delighted. “Well, well, well,” it says and turns back to him with a sickening sweet smile on Agen’s face. It’s wrong, wrong, _wrong_ – “I believe this is where we must part ways, little Human. Until I bring back the Zabrak’s broken body, anyways.”

The image of Agen on the ground, helpless and still, flies across his mind, makes him give the creature a stony look, breathes carefully as it laughs again. There’s no telling what it will do to Agen, what will happen. But Agen knows, he _knows_ , he’ll be _fine_. “He’ll stop you,” Jon says quietly, his hands curled into fists. “He’ll know.”

“And if I look like you?”

“He’ll know you’re not me,” Jon says quietly as ‘Agen’ melts into wisps of shadows and darkness again. Watches it transform—his own face looks back at him.

Agen will know. He trusts him. Jon knows it in his heart, knows it when a sliver of light curls around his wrist.

His own face smiles cruelly back at him. “Well, let’s find out and see, shall we?”


End file.
